L'Oreal Touche Magique

RRP: £6.99
no. of shades available: 4

--What does the promo say?--
"Banish dark circles, fine lines and imperfections with new Touche Magique Concealer.
This anti-fatigue and illuminating concealer visibly improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, leaving the delicate skin around the eye area looking radiant and smooth for up to 8 hours. Touche Magique has a soft brush applicator, making precise and controlled application easy."

--Packaging--
In terms of the actual concept, the packaging is pretty similar to its upmarket counterpart, Yves St Laurent's Touche Eclat: a plasticated stick of the same dimensions as a pen, with a brush as the nib. The pen is the same shade as the concealer itself, with dainty gold writing giving the product details, and an opaque lid to cover the nib. The other end of the pen is ridged - you twist the ridge to make concealer appear at the nib. It's a nice-looking thing and doesn't take up too much space in your makeup box.

--Application--
Instead of pressing the end of the pen to release more concealer, you twist. When the product is new, you end up sitting there for a long time, twisting the end of the pen for that first burst of concealer, and seeing as there's no indication of which way you should be twisting, this can be a little confusing (with a button there is no such ambiguity). However, once you get going, it's very easy to control how much concealer comes out of the pen, and easy to apply it directly to the skin. However, I find that with YSL's Touch Eclat and this product, it's easier to blend the concealer into the skin using a separate makeup brush (I find a lip brush has the right sort of bristles for this), as using the nib of the pen itself just pushes the concealer around your face without really blending it in.

--Texture--
The texture of this concealer is very smooth and seems to have a fine enough formula so that it blends in with any foundation and powder, even if they're not L'Oreal products.

--Appearance--
It doesn't sit on the skin's surface like some concealers, blending very nicely. However, while I found a shade that perfectly matched my skin tone, the number of shades available seems very limited and I don't know that the shades available would be adequate for darker skin tones.

--Coverage--
Excellent. Truth be told, it's probably actually better for my purposes than YSL's product, as this one is specifically aimed at covering up blemishes, whereas Touche Eclat is not.

--Longevity--
I've never used it on its own, so the results I've seen may not be fully accurate, as it's bound to react differently to the skin on its own than it does when working in conjunction with powder and foundation. As it is, I thought its longevity is very commendable.

--Value for money--
This product, certainly in terms of covering blemishes, is just as good as YSL's version. It's extremely affordable; one tube lasts a very long time (6 months +), even when wearing makeup most days; and the results are easily worth the money paid and more. I think L'Oreal has just redeemed itself.

T-Zone Face Pore Strips

RRP: £4.99 for 6 strips

--Background--(from the T-Zone website)
"Product Category
Deep Cleansing

Product Type
Strips

What is it?
Face Strips

What does it do?
Sticks to blackheads, dirt and grease and lifts them clean away.
Removes the bacteria that can irritate the pores.
Clears pores to help prevent future break-outs.
Specially shaped to target chin and forehead pores.

Who is it for?
Anyone with oily, combination or spot prone skin who wants to target blackheads, open pores or impurities especially on the chin and forehead.

When do I use it?
Use once every 3 days to deep clean your pores.

How do I use it?
Wash your face with T-Zone Face Wash or Cleanser.
Wet the target area.
Peel off the backing paper and apply face strip to chin or forehead.
Ensure face strip is firmly pressed down onto the skin.
Leave for around 10 minutes until the strip is starting to dry then gently lift away the edges to remove strip from face.

Product to use with
Cleanse your face first with Clear Pore Gel Face Wash or Oil Control Foaming Face Wash or Clear Pore Anti-bacterial Cleanser - to remove grease, oil and bacteria that can cause spots before applying the Face Pore Strip. Follow with Oil Control Moisture Lotion - to restore the natural moisture levels to the skin."

Author's product rating: 2/5

How does it affect your skin? It is very gentle / nice

Does it dehydrate your skin? No

Value for money Poor

Advantages: Occasionally remove blackheads

Disadvantages: On the whole very disappointing

Recommend to potential buyers: no

As someone who's suffered from problem skin for c.10 years, I'm at the stage where I'll try anything to get rid of my spots (whether that's from my GP or over-the-counter). While my current medication from my GP has helped my skin on its way to being clearer, my blackheads were still refusing to budge, so I needed some pore strips. I was encouraged by T-Zone's claim on the box that it contained natural anti-bacterial ingredients, and I thought that even though it was a little pricey for what it was (£4.99 for 6 strips!), I couldn't come to much harm by giving it a try.

The company has a very distinctive brand image with its bright teal/turquoise and orange boxes. The brand itself has also been around for a while, so I suppose I trusted the brand. The colours are very fresh and positive, which helps with the company's overall image and fits well with their products.

The smell is not at all unpleasant - smells of tea tree and eucalyptus type smells.I soon discovered that for the size of the area I was treating, I could cut the pads in half and so make the box last double the time. The strips are stuck to pieces of plastic, and they won't gum up your scissors if you do want to shape the strips to your needs. So far, so good.

The strips are also very easy to apply: just wet the area concerned, peel the strip from the backing plastic, and stick it on your face. Leave until it goes hard (10-15 mins I guess), and then rip it off. The strip comes right off and isn't painful to remove - it's less painful than ripping off a plaster, for example - and it doesn't irritate or dehydrate the skin

Unfortunately, despite all these positive factors, the results are very variable. On my first couple of attempts, I could see the results on the strip that I'd just ripped from my face (i.e. it was pretty clear that the blackheads were no longer on my face!). Now, I don't know if my blackheads have built up a resistance to the product or something (stubborn little buggers), but now I rip the strip off and NOTHING HAPPENS. The blackheads are still on my face, exactly where they shouldn't be. I first noticed this on the last strips I used, so about halfway through the pack - and I've still got 2 out of the original 6 left. I was also surprised at the blackheads' speed at reoccurring, particularly since the T-Zone strips apparently contain tea tree, which is meant to prevent this.

I definitely won't be buying this again, and to be honest, I can't understand how T-Zone has managed to survive as a brand for so long if these minimal effects are what is usual for their products. They're pretty pricey for something that doesn't work and I just feel annoyed that I got duped into believing yet another acne treatment brand's empty promises.

(this review was originally published on Ciao)

Yves St Laurent Touche Eclat

RRP: £22.50

Shades available: 4

-- Packaging --
A somewhat chunky golden pen with a smooth shine and the YSL logo on it in understated black font. Black click button at one end, brush in the style of a pen nib at the other. Comes in a similarly styled cardboard box.

--What does the promo say?--
"An ultra-glamorous pen..Just two or three clicks to coat the brush, a makeup tool borrowed from the pros, ideal for applying and diffusing touches of light with absolute precision, with a texture that is ultra light, fine, impalpable, and literally becomes one with the skin. It blends with day cream, a makeup base, foundation or powder, making it ideal for touch-ups anytime, with no overload. It boasts a magical formula combining airy lightness, softness and light. Extremely light oils (volatile silicones) ensure quick, even application. A blend of moisturising, refreshing components provide a feeling of sublime softness on application and extreme comfort throughout the day. A micronised powder combined with crystalline and lamellar structured pigments allow the skin to react to light the way a prism does, giving the complexion new radiance. Their microscopic size ensures an ultra-fine, even film on the skin, and for touch-ups they blend with the pigments of makeup that's already been applied."

--Application --
Click the button at the end a few times until the product starts to appear at the end of the brush/pen nib thing. Apply directly to face.

-- Purpose --
The beauty of the Touche Eclat (and probably why it's become such a classic - it even has its own website, http://www.touche-eclat.com/) is that it seems to have multiple purposes. I use it as a concealer; others use it to brighten the complexion; others use it to disguise under-eye circles.

--Appearance--
On the pen, it appears slightly runny. On the face, it takes on the appearance of powder and it doesn't appear blotchy on the facial areas where it's been applied. It also works very well with any brand of foundation or powder - at present I'm using Max Factor foundation and L'Oréal powder with it.

-- Texture --
Blends into the skin beautifully. Feels powder-light.

--Coverage--
Pretty good, but it's probably more suited as a highlighter and as a dark-circles cover-up than it is for other blemishes such as acne.

--Longevity--
No need to reapply throughout the day.

--Removal--
Easy to remove.

--Value for money--
Frankly excellent - you're getting a very high-quality product that lasts a long time. If they ever stop making it I might cry.